Naples is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Cumberland County,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. It is part of the Portland– South Portland– Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area. The population was 3,925 at the 2020 census, and it is home to part of Sebago Lake State Park. Naples is a resort area.

History

The area was settled in 1774. Farming in Naples, Maine was limited by the soil, which consisted of gravelly loam, its surface strewn with glacial erratic

boulder In geology, a boulder (or rarely bowlder) is a rock fragment with size greater than in diameter. Smaller pieces are called cobbles and pebbles. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive. In ...

s. The uplands, however, provided good grazing for

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

, and hay became the principal crop. Named for

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

, the town was incorporated on March 4, 1834, from parts of Otisfield, Harrison,

Raymond Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷ� ...

and Bridgton. Between 1845 and 1856, it annexed more land from Sebago, Otisfield and Bridgton. The Songo

Lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

, completed two years before town incorporation, linked Long Lake and Brandy Pond with Sebago Lake, allowing passage of boats from Harrison, Maine to Portland through the Cumberland and Oxford Canal in Standish. A

canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under ...

factory and cooperage were established at Naples village. The community also produced

carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

s, men's and boy's clothing, boots and shoes. The scenery of the lakes, however, would make

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

the dominant industry. Visitors in the 19th century included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...

. To accommodate his passengers, Charles L. Goodridge of the Sebago Lake, Songo River & Bay of Naples Steamship Company built a hostelry on a knoll at the southern end of Long Lake. On July 26, 1899, the Bay of Naples Inn opened with 80 bedrooms. It was designed by John Calvin Stevens, who reduced by two-fifths a plan originally created for the ill-fated Metallak Hotel in Colebrook,

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. While under construction, the Metallak was destroyed in April 1893 during a violent windstorm, and its investors abandoned the project. The Bay of Naples Inn, which faced Mount Washington and the east side of the White Mountains, was a popular resort during the early 20th century. Automobile tourists began arriving after designation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 (identified as United States Route 302 since 1935). The Bay of Naples Inn remained open through the 1951 season, but in 1964 was deemed unprofitable and razed. Image:Naples Village & Long Lake, Naples, ME.jpg, Naples village Image:Post Office, Naples, ME.jpg, Post Office in Image:The Casino, Naples, ME.jpg, The Casino in 1911 Image:Bay of Naples Inn, Naples, ME.jpg, Bay of Naples Inn, 1913

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Naples is drained by the

Songo River The Songo River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river in Maine. The river flows from Brandy Pond (Cumberland County, Maine), Brandy Pond at the south en ...

. Water bodies that are adjacent to, or within Naples include: * Sebago Lake * Chute River * Long Lake * Brandy Pond * Trickey Pond

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 3,872 people, 1,579 households, and 1,094 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,004 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.3%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population. There were 1,579 households, of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 42.9 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.4% were from 25 to 44; 33% were from 45 to 64; and 13.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 51.2% male and 48.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 3,274 people, 1,297 households, and 931 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 2,381 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.20%

, 0.15%

, 0.31% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.21% of the population. There were 1,297 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $38,141, and the median income for a family was $40,825. Males had a median income of $31,458 versus $24,596 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $18,176. About 6.9% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Site of interest

* Naples Historical Society Museum

Notable people

* Augustus Bove, state legislator * Richard Cebra, state legislator with the Maine Republican Party (2004–2012) and (2016–present) and state Republican Party chairman (2012–2013) * Major Knight, state legislator with the Greenback Party (1880) * Daniel Merriam, watercolorist * Christine Powers, state legislator * Richard Thompson, state legislator * Mark Walker, state legislator

References

External links

Town of Naples official website

Naples Public Library

Muddy River Sno Seekers Snowmobile Club

Sebago Lake State Park

Maine Genealogy: Naples, Cumberland County, Maine
{{authority control Towns in Cumberland County, Maine Portland metropolitan area, Maine Towns in Maine